Aftermarket Substitute for KIA Long Life Coolant?

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Hello, gentlemen. I'm wanting to do a couple of radiator drain & refills on our KIA Sportage. The genuine KIA Longlife coolant is very expensive.

You fellows know fluid specs far better than I do, so is there a quality aftermarket longlife coolant that I can find at AutoZone or Advanced Auto Parts that will be safe in this car?

Thanks.
 
I'd think Zerex Asian, or Rechochem concentrate if you're doing a flush would be fine.
 
You can try/check Walmart, they now carry Valvoline Asian Vehicle Antifreeze premix, ~$12 gal. It's the same as Zerex Asian Formula you can find at AAP now. ZAF at AAP a bit more expensive than the WM labeled Valv. Asian.

PepBoys sells Long(er) Life OEM brand Asian 'concentrate' at ~$22/gallon.

Looks like some AAP now selling PentoFrost A3 Blue premix, be similar to the two ZAF's mentioned. It's selling for 16.70/gal at some AAPs.
 
Just do a complete flush of the Asian Red or Pink and switch over to Peaks Global in the Gold bottle. You will be fine.
 
Peak Global Lifetime full strength certainly an option if the OP wants to do a complete exchange, distilled flush series. That said, PGL full strength can be a bit hard to find. Some Napas carry it, many don't. Most will order it but only by the 6 gallon case.

The PepBoys OEM Asian looks a little high, but when one considers it's a concentrate and can also pick the tint of choice to match the oem AF it's not high compared to the Asian premixes. In this case I believe Hyun/Kia AF is green tint. Practically speaking a full strength AF is the way to go if doing a full exchange.
 
Usually we get ripped off on part pricing here in Canada, but the OEM Hyundai concentrate coolant was only $18 per 5L jug from the dealer. That's about the same price as a generic concentrate coolant from a parts store.

So if the Kia dealer is overcharging, maybe try a nearby Hyundai dealer?
 
After checking some prices, genuine KIA coolant is not any more expensive than aftermarket.

I have tools but not much mechanical knowledge or ability, so a complete flush is probably beyond me. I was hoping to do just a basic radiator drain and refill, but I've been advised to not use the radiator drain plug because of the risk of damage. So . . . I may have to let someone with some mechanical skills do what originally seemed a simple job.

I want to do auto work myself, but more and more it seems all I can do at home is oil changes and tire rotations due to the risk of damage to vehicles.
 
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A coolant drain + fill isn't any harder than a simple oil change. Just undo the lower hose and drain it that way. I almost never use the radiator drain cocks because they are slow and flimsy.
 
Cracky,

You need to push through and do this radiator flush yourself and trust me you can do this it is not a hard task. Please see this link that I used to learn and give me the confidence to do my first Radiator flush a couple of years back. You can also search other video's for doing a flush on a Kia if that helps. ChrisFix Super Radiator Flush
 
Originally Posted By: mctmatt
Just do a complete flush of the Asian Red or Pink and switch over to Peaks Global in the Gold bottle. You will be fine.


Hyundai/Kia is not red or pink.
 
I have a Hyundai and Kia vehicle. My wife's Santa Fe is almost at 100,000 miles. I still haven't figured out what to use. I am leaning towards Peak Global or STP Global. Neither are available off the shelf in Charlotte. They each have to be ordered and takes about 5 days. Prices similar (though STP has a MIR.). I asked the Hyundai service manager and he said any long life antifreeze is fine. Just make sure it is ethlyn glycol based.
 
Originally Posted By: mctmatt
Cracky,

You need to push through and do this radiator flush yourself and trust me you can do this it is not a hard task. Please see this link that I used to learn and give me the confidence to do my first Radiator flush a couple of years back. You can also search other video's for doing a flush on a Kia if that helps. ChrisFix Super Radiator Flush


Thanks, mctmatt. The video is pretty good. I would like more coaching on how to get air out of a system after a flush. ChrisFix says a couple of times to make sure the temp gauge doesn't spike after a flush, but he doesn't say what to do if you do have a high temp reading. I'm leery of messing with cooling systems because I've had to limp TWO vehicles on separate occasions to a shop for radiator and thermostat repairs after trying to flush at home (Chevy Cavalier 4-cyl and a Ford Mustang 2.3 4-cyl). If you've grown up around guys fixing cars, cooling system work is no big deal. If you've never been around such, it's easy to make a rookie mistake.
 
Originally Posted By: Urshurak776
I have a Hyundai and Kia vehicle. My wife's Santa Fe is almost at 100,000 miles. I still haven't figured out what to use. I am leaning towards Peak Global or STP Global. Neither are available off the shelf in Charlotte. They each have to be ordered and takes about 5 days. Prices similar (though STP has a MIR.). I asked the Hyundai service manager and he said any long life antifreeze is fine. Just make sure it is ethlyn glycol based.


Are you going to wrestle with this at home or let the Hyundai dealer do it? Any ideas what the dealer might charge for this job?
 
I go to either Kia or Hyundai dealerships for coolant. Never above $18 here for the full-strength; gives me a couple D&F from 1 gallon.

From the chain stores, Pentosin A2 seems like an appropriate substitute (phosphate HOAT/silicate-free) coolant. I like that it also comes in full-strength, but its closer to $30 so I stick with Hyundai/Kia coolant.
 
Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
Zerex Asian Vehicle. Same as OEM at two thirds the cost. Even better at some Walmarts.


This would work great. The problem is it only comes in 50/50. If you do a distilled water flush of your car, then fill with Zerex Asian, your final concentration will be approx. 70% water / 30% antifreeze.
 
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
I just use the standard green all engine stuff. Change every 2-3 years.


When I picked up a 2008 Elantra for my daughter in 2012 I used traditional green Peak coolant because the owner's manual was vague. I did several distilled water D&R's to get the OE coolant out. I've D&R'd it every 2 years since and have had no problems. When I recently had the timing belt changed I saw that the water pump looked like new.

PS: To the OP....It's as simple as unscrewing the plastic drain plug and refilling with distilled water several times (after running the car until the t-stat opens) until it's all water....then drain it and add full strength coolant making sure you get at least half the capacity so that you have a 50/50 mix.
I'd try to find a gallon of PGL or else wait until Pepboys runs a sale on their OEM stuff (usually $21 but often on sale for $14). I also doubt you'd harm anything using an AMAM like Prestone.
 
I went to the Kia dealership today. Guess what? They are using O'Reilly Universal antifreeze. They didn't even have any OEM in stock. $27.99 if they did. I asked him if they were concerned with the 2-EHA ingredient. He said with any car newer than 2010 it is not an issue (at least in KIA / Hyundai vehicles.) I don't even know what to think anymore.
 
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